Wheat is among the globally popular cereal grains that have a remarkably high demand in the global market. A cereal grain from Triticum genus, it has been consumed for millennia. It is mainly cultivated for its grains used in baking, dough, pasta, pastries, and other consumables that are derived from flour.

Its flour is a staple ingredient in many households and culinary traditions around the world. Derived from grinding whole wheat grains, it comes in various types, each suited for different cooking and baking needs. Here’s an in-depth look at its uses as well as its benefits.

Uses:

• Food Products: As one of the ingredients, its flour is important when preparing bread. It contains gluten which allows dough to expand and well, it gives dough the stretch ability it requires. Durum wheat is of hard type and is used for preparing semolina flour used in the production of pasta. Many recipes for baked products such as cake, cookies, muffins and more may employ its flour. It is another widely used ingredient in breakfast cereals, although most of them are whole grain or made from a combination of ingredients.

Benefits :

• It is used as a source of carbohydrate food, thus providing energy. Whole wheat is high in dietary fibers that are essential for digestion of food as well as improvement of the human gut health. It is a rich source of Protein that is required for the ‘re-modeling’ of other tissues in the body. It is rich in vitamins, particularly the B vitamins, as well as iron, magnesium, and selenium.

• Consumption of whole wheat is associated with decreased possibility of heart disease resulting from cholesterol, thanks to the fiber rich content. The presence of fiber also make its products effective in helping one in conceiving a full stomach and thereby assisting in managing the weight. Fiber in it enables one to ease from a constipation menace and realize a clean bowel movement. Also, whole wheat contains little amounts of GI because they have a low index than the refined wheat products.

• The fiber in it can help regulate blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

It is one of the most prominent grains in human consumption today and has countless uses even outside the kitchen. It has nutritional value that makes it important in enhancing the health standards as a good part of the human diet.  Even today one can come across people who prefer using it in the simplest way, as a loaf of bread or in a featured pasta dish it remains unbeatable.